For the military, firefighters, foundry workers and other workers whose occupations expose them to extreme heat and fire, safety is a paramount concern. Working in and around environments wherein one is exposed to extreme heat and fire continually subjects workers to risks of being seriously burned. Accordingly, it is a necessity that the clothing of such military workers and other personnel provide a high degree of heat and fire resistance protection to protect such workers against the hazards of their work environments.
In attempting to provide maximum protection against heat and fire, the emphasis has been on using thermal and/or flame resistant fabrics to form protective garments such as firefighter's turnout coats, pants, etc. The flame resistant fabrics used for such garments typically are formed of woven inherently flame resistant yarns and are thick, heavy and stiff and are assembled in multiple layers to form the garments. The stiffness and general inflexibility of such fabrics tends to cause another significant problem which is the restriction of freedom of movement of a worker while wearing garments made from such fabrics. By restricting the freedom of movement of the wearer, further stress is placed upon and greater exertion is required from the wearer in order to move and work in the protective garments. Accordingly it can be seen that a need exists for better flame resistant fabrics.